1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle mounted input unit for centrally operating various types of electronic equipment, mounted on a motor vehicle, at a single manual operation section, and more particularly to a means to enhance versatility and multi-functional performance of the input unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the recent years, a motor vehicle is equipped with many electronic equipment such as an airconditioner, a radio, a television, a CD player and a navigation system. Since the individual operation of many electronic equipment may interfere with the driving of a motor vehicle, in order to facilitate the ON-OFF operations of desired electronic equipment, function selection, control of the selected function and others while ensuring safety operation, there has hitherto been proposed a vehicle mounted input unit capable of accomplishing all these operations by manipulating a single manual operation section.
FIGS. 8 to 13 are illustrations of a vehicle mounted input unit which has been proposed so far. FIG. 8 shows an interior of a motor vehicle incorporating a vehicle mounted input unit, FIG. 9 is a side elevational view showing a conventional vehicle mounted input unit, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a manual operation section constituting the vehicle mounted input unit, FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a guide plate constituting the vehicle mounted input unit, FIG. 12 is a table showing the relationship between an engaging position of an engaging pin with a guide groove and a selected function when an airconditioner is selected through a switch device, and FIG. 13 is a table showing the relationship between an engaging position of an engaging pin with a guide groove and a selected function when a radio is selected through the switch device.
As FIG. 8 shows, this vehicle mounted input unit 100 is placed on a console box 200 existing between the driver""s seat and the assistant""s seat in the motor vehicle.
As FIGS. 9 to 11 show, this vehicle mounted input unit 100 is principally composed of a manual operation section 110 comprising two click switches 111, 112 and three rotary variable resistors 113, 114, 115, serving as a signal input means, an X-Y table 120 drivable in X directions and in Y directions perpendicular to the X directions through the manual operation section 110, a stick controller 130 serving as a position signal input means for inputting a signal corresponding to an operating direction and operating quantity of the X-Y table 120, and a guide plate 140 engaged through the X-Y table 120 with the manual operation section 110.
The manual operation section 110 and the X-Y table 120 are integrally connected through a connecting shaft 150 to each other, while the X-Y table 120 and the guide plate 140 are engaged with each other in a manner that a tip portion of an engaging pin 160 made to protrude from a lower surface of the X-Y table 120 is movably inserted into a guide groove 141 made in an upper surface of the guide plate 140. The guide groove 141 is, as shown in FIG. 11, made up of three vertical grooves 141a, 141b, 141c arranged at a constant interval, and one horizontal groove 141d connecting the central portions of these three vertical grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, with each of the grooves 141a to 141d being formed to have a width whereby the engaging pin 160 is movable only in its longitudinal directions. Accordingly, the manual operation section 110 and the X-Y table 120 are movable only in the X directions (the longitudinal directions of the horizontal groove 141d) and the Y directions (the longitudinal directions of the vertical grooves 141a to 141c) normal to the X directions within a range depending on the pattern and size of the guide groove 141.
The functional selection of the vehicle mounted electronic equipment is achievable in a manner that the engaging pin 160 is shifted to one of the positions of the end portions and intermediate portions of the respective vertical grooves 141a, 141b, 141c as indicated by reference marks A to I, and one of the two click switches 111, 112 on the manual operation section 110 is operated. That is, in this way, the positional information on the engaging position between the engaging pin 160 and the guide groove 141, selected through the operations of the manual operation section 110 and the X-Y table 120, can be outputted from the stick controller 130, which enables the selection of the function of the vehicle mounted electronic equipment, to be used, by that positional information.
In addition, the function of the electronic equipment selected through the operations of the manual operation section 110 and the clock switch 111 or 112 is adjustable by operating any one of the three rotary variable resistors 113, 114, 115 placed on the manual operation section 110.
The vehicle mounted input unit 100 thus constructed operates each electronic equipment convergently with a combination of a switch device (assembly) for selecting a desired one from a plurality of electronic equipment mounted on a motor vehicle, to be put to use, in an alternative way, a display unit for displaying the name of the electronic equipment selected by the switch device and the contents of operation by the vehicle mounted input unit 100 and a computer for controlling each of these equipment.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a switch device 170 comprising a combination of a plurality of (five in the example shown in FIG. 8) switches 171a to 171e is installed in the vicinity of a setting section of the vehicle mounted input unit 100 on the console box 200, and a display unit 180 such as a liquid crystal display is placed at a portion of the console box 180, which is easy to see from the driver""s seat. Incidentally, the computer is to be placed within the console box 200 and is omitted from the illustration.
The switches 171a to 171e of the switch device 170 are individually connected to a plurality of electronic equipment mounted on a motor vehicle. For instance, let it be assumed that the switches 171a, 171b, 171c, 171d and 171e are individually connected to the airconditioner, the radio, the television, the CD player and the navigation system, respectively, the airconditioner can be selected in an alternative way by operating the switch 171a, while the radio can be selected in an alternative way by the operation of the switch 171b. Similar operations are done in terms of the other electronic equipment. Thus, the operation of one of the switches 171a to 171e provided in the switch device 170 allows the turning-on or turning-off of a desired electronic equipment.
The function selection and function control of the electronic equipment selected through the switch device 170 can be accomplished by the operation of the vehicle mounted input unit 100. The functions to be selectable through the vehicle mounted input unit 100 depend upon the type of electronic. equipment selected. For instance, if the airconditioner is selected through the switch device 170, the relationship between the engaging positions A to I of the engaging pin 160 with the guide groove 141 shown in FIG. 11 and the functions to be selected is as shown in FIG. 12. On the other hand, if the radio is selected through the switch device 170, the relationship between the engaging positions A to I and the functions to be selected is as shown in FIG. 13.
Meanwhile, the functions to be adjustable by the vehicle mounted input unit 100 also depend upon the type and function of the electronic equipment selected. For instance, if the airconditioner is selected through the switch device 170 and the xe2x80x9cAir Quantity Controlxe2x80x9d is selected through the manual operation section 110, the air quantity is adjustable through the operation of the first rotary variable resistor 113. Further, if the airconditioner is selected through the switch device 170 and the xe2x80x9cTemperature Controlxe2x80x9d is selected through the manual operation section 110, the setting of temperature for the airconditioner is adjustable through the manipulation of the second rotary variable resistor 114. On the other hand, if the radio is selected through the switch device 170 and the xe2x80x9cVolume Controlxe2x80x9d is selected through the manual operation section 110, the volume of the radio is adjustable through the operation of the first rotary variable resistor 113. Further, if the radio is selected through the switch device 170 and the xe2x80x9cTuningxe2x80x9d is selected through the manual operation section 110, the tuning of the radio can be done through the manipulation of the second rotary variable resistor 114.
In the vehicle mounted input unit 100 in the conventional example, the engaging pin 160 and the guide groove 141 are in engaging condition at all times, which is convenient in switching the functions of the electronic equipment mounted on a motor vehicle. However, since it is impossible to freely manipulate the manual operation section 110 regardless of the guide groove 141, there is an disadvantage in that difficulty is encountered to use this manual operation section 110 as an input unit represented by a common mouse type input unit (which will be referred to as a mouse in this specification) and difficulty is experienced to promote the versatility and functional performance of the equipment.
For instance, at themanipulation of the navigation system, there is a need for a cursor to be freely movable on a display, whereas the vehicle mounted input unit 100 in the conventional example does not permit the use of the manual operation section 110 as a mouse and, hence, requires separately a mouse or a stick controller for manipulating the navigation system. This inconvenience is not limited to the manipulation of the navigation system but applying to the operation of a personal computer or a computer game carried in a motor vehicle.
Accordingly, the present invention has been developed with a view to eliminating the drawback inherent in the conventional technique, and it is an object of this invention to provide a vehicle mounted input unit more excellent in versatility and functional performance.
For solve the above-mentioned problems, in accordance with this invention, there is provided a vehicle mounted input unit comprising a manual operation section including one or a plurality of signal inputting means, position signal inputting means for inputting a signal corresponding to a position of the manual operation section and guide means such as a guide plate for limiting an operational range of the manual operation section, wherein the engagement and disengagement between the manual operation section and the guide means is properly performed by operating guide plate drive means.
Thus, in the case that the manual operation section 70 and the guide means are engaged with each other, that is, when, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide section drive means such as a solenoid 50 is operated to raise a guide plate 40 so that an engaging pin 30 is put in a guide groove 41 made in the guide plate 40, like the conventional technique described above, the operation of the manual operation section 70 enables the switching of the function of electronic equipment mounted in a motor vehicle and the adjustment of the function to which the switching is made.
On the other hand, when the guide section drive means such as the solenoid 50 is operated to lower the guide plate 40 for releasing the manual operation section 70 and the guide plate 40 from their engagement, the manual operation section 70 is movable in an arbitrary direction and to an arbitrary position. Thus, the manual operation section 70 can be used as a mouse for moving a cursor appearing on a display, in using, for example, a navigation system, a personal computer or a computer game, which contributes to the improvement of versatility and multifunctional performance of the vehicle mounted input unit.
Besides, in order to enable the sensation of blind-touching when the function selected through the manipulation of the manual operation section 70 is a desired function, it is also appropriate that a vibration or excitation means is provided in the manual operation section 70 to provide to the driver vibrations different in mode for the respective functions selected.
In addition, in order to make the engaging pin 31 engage with the guide groove 41 smoothly and surely when the manual operation section 70 and the guide plate 40 are switched from the disengaging condition to the engaging condition, it is particularly preferable that a center return mechanism is provided in the manual operation section 70 to automatically return the manual operation section 70 to a predetermined center position when the manual operation section 70 is released from an external force applied thereto.